Friday, December 04, 2009

BUZZ

For some reason, people who stayed in the guest room slept exceptionally well, lulled to sleep by a gentle buzzing that was so soft, it seemed to be a product of the imagination.

After a while, though, it became clear that the buzzing was not imaginary at all. It was all too real, as evidenced by the numerous honeybees that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

The homeowner, not surprisingly, grew suspicious. Upon removing a section of wallboard, this is what he found:

Great jumping snakes! It’s a whole honkin’ beehive! Jeebus!

One could imagine that that is what the Devil’s nutsack looks like.

In the upper left corner of the photo, you can see a hand prying away chunks of honeycomb. I don’t know what became of the hive; I know only that it was removed.

“Was I the homeowner in question?” you ask. No: That distinction belongs to one Jerry Foster, an occasional commenter here but better known to me as the lifelong friend of The Other Elisson.

Jerry, as it turns out, is a dab hand with a camera. Inspired by my recent Buggy Post, he sent me a few of his shots. Here are a couple:

A hummingbird on the wing.

Even more impressive: a macro shot of a honeybee in flight.

According to Jerry, “The bee photo was a royal bitch. I was shooting micro and had a set up near a bunch of flowers.” I can only imagine how many bad shots it took before the Perfect Bee came along at just the right distance from the lens...

Update: Friday Ark #272 is afloat over at the Modulator. Fuzzy, buzzy fun!